The Alpine Formula One team announced on Wednesday that Jack Doohan will be replaced by Franco Colapinto for the next five race weekends as part of a driver rotation strategy aimed at improving results, with the change coinciding with the sudden resignation of team principal Oliver Oakes. This unexpected move marks a turbulent period for Alpine, which struggles near the bottom of the Constructors’ Championship standings.
Doohan, 22, was promoted to Alpine’s main race lineup last season after Esteban Ocon‘s departure to Haas. However, his performance this year has come under intense scrutiny. In seven starts, Doohan’s best finish is 13th place, leaving him without points and tied for last in the driver rankings. Meanwhile, teammate Pierre Gasly has accrued just seven points, placing 12th, as Alpine battles to regain competitiveness in a fiercely contested field.
By contrast, rising stars Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, driving for McLaren, dominate the standings with a combined total of 250 points, occupying the top two positions. These contrasting fortunes have intensified pressure on Alpine to re-evaluate driver roles, leading to Doohan’s benching as Colapinto, an Argentine driver turning 22 this month, takes over the cockpit starting at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Italy from May 16-18. Alpine describes the rotation as part of an ongoing performance assessment.
Doohan will move to the reserve driver position previously held by Colapinto. Reflecting on the decision, Doohan stated,
“I am very proud to have achieved my lifelong ambition to be a professional Formula 1 driver and I will forever be grateful to the team for helping me achieve this dream. Obviously, this latest chapter is a tough one for me to take because, as a professional driver, naturally I want to be racing.”
He added,
“That said, I appreciate the team’s trust and commitment. We have long-term goals as a team to achieve and I will continue to give my maximum efforts in any way I can to help achieve those. For now, I will keep my head down, keep working hard, watch with interest the next five races and keep chasing my own personal goals.”
The timing of Doohan’s replacement is complicated by the resignation of Oliver Oakes, whose departure was announced on Tuesday night. Alpine’s statement thanked Oakes for his contributions since joining last summer, notably helping the team secure sixth place in the 2024 Constructors’ Championship last year, though Alpine currently sits ninth out of ten teams. The team did not elaborate further on Oakes’ resignation or its connection to the driver changes.
Colapinto expressed eagerness to take on the new role, saying,
“I cannot wait to get started,”
signaling hope for a fresh spark in Alpine’s challenging season. As the team navigates these abrupt changes, all eyes will be on how both Doohan and Colapinto adapt to their roles under mounting pressure, with Alpine’s future in the championship hanging in the balance.
